Today we are thrilled to introduce you to Abby Murphy of Abby Murphy Photography, who is one of our talented local artist we carry. We now sell her fine art photography, so come by to have a look at it!

Abby, share a fun fact about your brand or your story/ tell us about your products:

I created this collection when I first moved to Charleston and was totally falling in love with the city. I photographed these on a medium format film Hasselblad camera, which is an incredibly beautiful and mechanical Swedish camera. Shooting film slows down the process of composing and creating my images much more than digital, plus I love the soft way it captures light. I don’t shoot film much for my client projects, so I started my print shop to share my love of film photography and Charleston with everyone!

Who is another local maker you admire?

My friend Julie of For Heaven Bakes makes INCREDIBLE 3D cakes! Seriously, look her up and you will be blown away.

What’s your favorite Charleston Restaurant?

My go-to for dinner is always Leon’s!

What is your favorite song to jam out to while you create products or look for inspiration?

My favorite band is Tennis and I’m always jamming to their song “Never Work for Free.” I listen to them every single day!

What is your favorite product you offer right now and what was the inspiration behind it/why will people love it?

My favorite photo in the shop is 1 East Battery. I love the details on the house, the glowy sunset light, and the palm tree! The neutral colors work in anyone’s space, and it looks amazing framed in either white or black!

Aren’t Abby’s photographs beautiful?! Come by soon to shop them in person!

We are so thrilled to introduce you to our latest vendor, Charleston Hemp Company. There are lots of misconceptions out there about CBD oil, but no, we aren’t selling marijuana! The difference between hemp and marijuana is the ratio of THC to CBD; hemp products have a higher ratio of CBD, and less than .3% THC. Charleston Hemp Company works closely with MUSC to test their products, and so far we are the only downtown shop carrying CBD products (vape pens, oils, salves, and more!). Come by soon to see our selection, & read on to get to know Malia from Charleston Hemp Company and their products a little better!

Tell us about some of the known benefits of CBD:

Benefits vary per person and can differ based on other factors like your diet, body composition, etc. Known possible benefits include pain management, combatting anxiety, anti-seizure properties, reducing side effects from cancer/cancer related treatments, and even assisting with sleep. CBD is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties and can potentially help conditions such as acne.

What’s your favorite product of yours right now, and what was the inspiration behind it?

I love our salve. There's 100 mg of CBD in each 1oz jar. I think a lot of people who are skeptical of CBD and don't want to try it orally go for the salve. Within 30-40 mins, people will come back and tell us what a difference they feel. It's simple, topical, and great for spot treatments. It can literally go on anything and everything and I feel like it really works. Sunburns, bug bites, joint pain or even muscle cramps after a workout.

Tell us a fun fact about your products:

We designed our packaging and labeling after the 1914 $10 bill. They are actually harvesting a hemp filled on the back of the bill! In most states, it was a requirement to grow hemp since it was used for the majority of different textile products. The first American flag, by Betsy Ross, was actually made out of hemp as well. These days, regulations only allow for 20 South Carolina farmers allowed to grow industrial hemp. Charleston Hemp Company is one of those!

Tell us a Charleston restaurant you're loving right now:

Uneeda Sicilian, Stella's, The Workshop

Who is another local maker/company you admire?

There are so many that go to local markets that we have created great bonds with, but R&R Acres and their local honey/chocolate covered honey are delicious!

What’s your favorite song to jam out to while you're working on your farm or heading to a local market?

Throwback playlists on Spotify, songs that everyone pretty much knows and have jammed to at one point in life.

They're your favorite local dog brand, and ours- Crew Lala! We wanted to share their inspiring story with you, which was recently featured on Etsy's "Seller Stories" series. Click above to watch the short video all about their fabulous company.

You guys can probably tell by now that we sure love celebrating! Any occasion will do, and it's always a great day to spread some cheer with balloons, of course. We loved getting to celebrate with many of you as our shop turned ONE this month! Thank you for all of your support and patronage so far. Come by soon if you haven't been in yet, we can't wait to have you in for a photo in front of our balloon wall!

Have a peek at some of our current offerings from this quarter's vendors:

A few weeks ago we heard from co-founder Mimi Striplin of the Tiny Tassel. Go get to know her a little better in this post, and see what Liz has to say below!

What's the hardest part of owning a shop? Your favorite part?

Hardest: the hardest part was probably doing it- deciding to open a shop and all that comes along with that. I was pretty close to letting fear get in the way and was super stressed at first. Mimi does a lot of the things I hate or aren't good at, so luckily we have been able to divide and conquer to make things easier on ourselves!

Favorite: getting to have something that's part of the Charleston community I love so much, and hearing how much people love the shop when they walk in!

Who is another maker who inspires you?

There are too many to name! Aside from our vendors, I love that I've gotten to team up with the talented Danielle Fabrega of The Town Serif on some projects. I also love The Contents Co. I think they do such a great job of having a really cool aesthetic and creating the most lovely botanical candles.

Favorite song to jam out to while making?

I don't really "make" anything anymore- there was a time I made felted soap but I can't say I miss it! Now I usually like to do my computer work in silence so I can concentrate, and the rest of the time I love listening to Podcasts. Some of my favorites lately are Strategy Hour, Goal Digger, & The Business Life & Joy Podcast.

What's your favorite product offering right now, and what was the inspiration behind it?

For spring I had some custom Turkish towels manufactured- I chose bold colors that make me happy all year long. I hope that these towels inspires you to sit on the grass and enjoy the sun, go to the beach, or take a trip!

What's your biggest piece of advice to offer to someone looking to open a brick and mortar store or start a side business?

Some might argue to "go big or go home", but I'm really glad we started small! Our shop is around 400 square feet, so Mimi and I were able to finance everything ourselves. Maybe we don't have the potential to profit that a larger store might have, but I'm always so thankful we don't have to deal with the stress of multiple employees or a bank loan at the end of the day.

We are so excited to officially introduce you to our favorite chandlers, Jenna & Nolan of Park & Madison. They have been our vendors since day ONE, and bring us new scents on the regular. Mimi's favorite scents are Grass and Teakwood, and Liz loves Lavender Rosemary & Grass. In addition to candles, they are always adding new products like pillow mist, yoga mat spray, and even essential oil blends!

Tell us a Charleston restaurant you're loving right now!

We’ve been on a taco and margarita bender at one of our local spots near our apartment called “3 matadors.” It’s right up the road and there’s never a bad moment for last minute tacos and tequila. The place has been around for a while but it’s a gem.

Who is another local maker you admire?

‘Tidal Jewelry by Annie.’ She’s our neighbor at a few of the farmers markets we regularly participate in; some mornings we think we’d never get through without her! She works so hard, makes a beautiful product, and has been so much fun to get to know and become friends with over the last year.

What is your favorite product right now and what was the inspiration behind it?

We’re loving our Park & Madison essential oil blends we’ve been putting out lately, but we’re REALLY looking forward to our next release: botanical themed candles in custom Park & Madison terracotta pots. The pots come from Palmer Planter Company out of Philadelphia (another kick-butt artist couple we admire). We’re originally from Pennsylvania, so it’s cool to incorporate that into our own business down here in Charleston. The packaging for the candles will be plantable, so you can literally grow something in the terracotta after the candle burns. Tt goes along with our belief in sustainability, recycling, and supporting nature and the environment.

What's your favorite song to jam out to while you're making candles?

We always have reggae playing at the workshop when we’re blending and pouring. Candle making is a patience game; reggae always sets the perfect vibe for what we do!

Can you share a tip with us to help maximize candle burn time?

ALWAYS trim your wick. It’s as simple as flicking off the “mushroom” shape that the wick can curl into when you blow it out. You’ll prevent the wick from folding in on itself. Also when you first burn any candle, always allow the top to liquid entirely before blowing it out. This prevents tunneling and wasted wax.

Thanks for the awesome tips, Jenna & Nolan. Stop in soon so you can smell their awesome creations for yourself!

Our Meet Our Makers series is back this week with Alyssa Graef Bankowski of Graefic Design. Our customers have been loving her unisex Charleston shirts, hats, and travel tumblers. She recently added some gold foil prints, too! Learn a little more about Alissa below.

Tell us a Charleston restaurant you're loving right now.

I haven't been yet but I'm dying to try Workshop!

Who is another local maker you admire?

Annie from @tidaljewelry_byannie and Danielle Fabrega of @thetownserif.

What is your favorite product right now and what's the inspiration behind it?

My new CHS women's hats. I wanted to create something really feminine and relevant, so I took my handwritten CHS logo and embroidered it on these amazing violet hats (which is the pantone color of the year!) and I couldn't be more excited. It'll be my go-to hat for a while.

What's your favorite song to jam out to while you're making/designing?

I not-so-secretly love old school hip-hop, so anything in that genre but lately the song "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand" by Primitive Radio Gods is my jam.

Share a tip or tell us a fun fact about you/ your products.

Fun fact: I LOVE to cook. I think it feeds into my creativity since I can concoct various recipes from ingredients I have on hand and come up with new, exciting drinks and food combos. I run a side insta (@concoction.kitchen) that I play around with food and drink concoctions, post some of my best meals while traveling, etc. Here's one of my fav salad recipes that's perfect for spring and summer.

Alissa will be joining us again as a summer vendor, so come shop her awesome products soon!

Today we are introducing you to the gal behind so many awesome cards and prints in our shop, Renee of Island Haus Paperie! Read on to learn a little about Renee, and be sure to check out her website & Instagram!

Tell us about your products and the process behind creating them.

All of my products are first designed with a watercolor painting and then I bring those designs to life through various different types of products; cards, prints, wrapping paper, mugs the list goes on! I’m hoping to add more print designs + products in the coming year! If you have a special request I’d love to hear it! renee@islandhauspaperie.com

What's your current favorite Charleston restaurant?

Coastal Crust in Mt. Pleasant… the salad, the pizza, the wine, the atmosphere- perfection!

Who is another local maker you admire?

I’ve always really loved everything that Suite 33 creates - I have two of her stockings hanging on my mantle right now and I just smile every time I look at them!

What's your favorite song to jam out to while you're making?

I really love all genres of music but my jam is definitely Janis Joplin mainly because in my mind I can belt it out just like her - haha!

Tell us about your favorite product you offer right now and the inspiration behind it.

Right now I’m really loving our 2018 calendar! This product is extra special because my husband made the display blocks that come with each calendar! I always love getting a new calendar so I can see all the fun things I have planned in the year ahead!